Young Woman (Girl with Beads), oil on canvas, 1915 (photo: Prague Castle Administration)

This restrospective exhibit present the life and work of artist, illustrator, and author Josef Čapek with an emphasis on his personal contribution to Czech art. The exhibit covers all areas of Čapek’s artistic endeavors, and shows the ties between his artistic and literary work. On display are more than 200 oil paintings, as well as a selection of drawings, prints, caricatures, illustrations, book covers, and scenographic designs. Many of these works – which come from renowned galleries as well as from private collections – were last exhibited in 1946, others were unknown before or had even been considered lost.

Josef Čapek was a leading member of the Czech interwar avant-garde, contributing heavily to the development of Czech cubism, but also having a profound influence on book design and printmaking. He also published several children’s books, the best known of which is the popular "Doggie and Pussycat" series. He is also credited with inventing the word "robot," used by his brother Karel in the play Rossum’s Universal Robots. After the country’s occupation by Nazi Germany in 1939 he was arrested by the Gestapo; he died in 1945 at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp.

• Imperial Riding Stables, Prague Castle
• Open daily 10am to 6pm
• Admission: 180 adults, 110 reduced (children, students and seniors)